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1) what city do you live in
2) what are the top 3 diamond-in-the-rough things/tourist attractions a visitor should do in your city. These are things that don't always get all the headlines (i.e., don't say Disney if you live in Orlando)
Culver Steps, good workout and possibly the best view of LA - (Ocean views to Downtown)
Grand Central Market or Last Bookstore downtown. (Farmers Market on Fairfax gets more attention)
Peterson Automotive Museum on Wilshire.
Honorable mention to the Cinerama Dome at Hollywood Archlight and Hollywood Forever Cemetery (they show movies, people drink, smoke weed etc). Chinese theatre is more famous, and it's great but Arclight gets a very Hollywood crowd. It's Tarantino's favorite theatre I believe.
My top choice is something that, sadly, has gone out of business: the Public Works Museum. If you ever wondered about the infrastructure buried under the street that brought you your electricity and water and carried away storm water and waste, this was the place to go to find out. There's a group that's trying to reopen it, and I hope they're successful.
There's the Shot Tower, where bullets used to be made by dropping molten lead from a great height, which then formed into the proper shape for a bullet on the way down.
Richmond Beach Saltwater Park. Shoreline isn't known for being touristy, but everyone I've brought to this spot has audibly gasped as soon as they saw the view.
The Museum of Bad Art. I'm biased, I used to live in this area, but it's really a unique thing to see, and nearby Roosevelt Way and 65th St NE are great for finding a place to eat or sit down and taking in the atmosphere of a typical Seattle mixed-use neighborhood.
Alki Beach. In my opinion, the best view of the skyline we have.
Honorable mention: The Museum of Glass in Tacoma. A little far if the visitor only has a couple days or specifically wants to focus on Seattle, but a very original museum. If you're there, stop over at Titlow Park for another view of the Sound and of the (in)famous Tacoma Narrows Bridge, and rest awhile at one of the two beach bars.
While not a current (rather former) Washington DC resident, I'll comment as it rarely gets mention in these type of threads. My first DC pick would be the International Spy Museum which is a hit for all ages. It reopened last year in a new, updated location with much more space and architecturally looks like one of those edgy/modern research lab facilities in a James Bond movie. https://www.spymuseum.org/ The Night Tour by electric carts is a great way to see the architectural beauty of DC beautifully lit at night in a small guided group tour format. They also have informative and fun/non-cheesy guides! https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti..._Columbia.html While it seems a forgone conclusion to visit, the US Capitol tour often doesn't make the list of must-sees and really should be. For anyone with any shred of interest about our government and US History it's well worth the time and cost for a guided tour. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti..._Columbia.html
American Art Museum - In Chinatown, so off the Smithsonian beaten track, but oh so good. My favorite museum in Washington.
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception - Nobody really treks out to Brookland to see it, but this building is enormous and cavernous. It's well worth a visit.
Library of Congress - Absolutely stunning. The Main Hall and Jefferson Reading Room wouldn't be out of place in some of the big Imperial European capitals. But many tourists do the Capitol and then head back to the National Mall. Boo!
Udvar-Hazy Center - This is the best aviation museum in the world, but far from the other Smithsonians near Dulles. Aviation enthusiasts call it the Temple of Aviation. It has a space shuttle, the Enola Gay (dropped the nuclear bomb on Hiroshima), a concorde, some crazy spy planes, all in massive hangar. If you love space/aviation, go to this one in Fairfax, and not the main National Air and Space Museum campus in the Hill.
My top choice is something that, sadly, has gone out of business: the Public Works Museum. If you ever wondered about the infrastructure buried under the street that brought you your electricity and water and carried away storm water and waste, this was the place to go to find out. There's a group that's trying to reopen it, and I hope they're successful.
There's the Shot Tower, where bullets used to be made by dropping molten lead from a great height, which then formed into the proper shape for a bullet on the way down.
Is the Eastern Avenue Pumping Station still being used though? Would hate to see that building be torn down.
I'm not from Baltimore, but have visited enough times (used to go every 2 months to grab 100 books at the Book Thing) to have a good sense of the city. I also have a bit of an emotional connection as a Johns Hopkins alum (though I went to their IR school in Washington, D.C.).
My last trip though was Federal Hill, American Visionary Art Museum (loved it) and, coincidentally, Bronycon so I'm overdue.
I'll add:
1. 10 Light Street - Well worth a visit. It's a criminally underrated Art Deco gem with a stunning lobby. An all around beauty.
1. Isabella Stewart Garnder Museum & MFA,. Great Museums and you can take a nice stroll through the Fens .
2. East Boston Waterfront: Brand new waterfront area with great views, new restaurants, new condos. Great vibe off the T and near airport.
3. Fort Point Channel: New children's park, the Hood Milk Bottle is being redone, new General Electric HQ, New Harborwalk extension, and about 6 buildings under construction with 3 more lab buildings sending the area up announced two days ago. It's a cool area by the Tea Party Museum and Boston Children's Museum. So reccomend it.
57% for my year in DC. Very good choices, although my personal favorite Smithsonian was the Postal Museum. The Frederick Douglass house and the Blind Whino were a couple of my favorite lesser-visited sites.
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